An overview of elder abuse and neglect in Australia.
Only relatively recently has the issue of elder abuse come to prominence in Australia. Until the late 1980s it was a hidden problem with little knowledge of its presence. Attention was drawn to elder abuse after the publication of a number of reports and research projects, allowing the development of responses at national and state levels. This paper gives an overview of the development of elder abuse as a social, legal and medical issue in Australia, and describes the diverse range of responses from the national, state and territory governments.
Kurrle
Susan
S
Faculty of Medicine, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia. kurrle@bigpond.com
Naughtin
Gerard
G
D000368:Aged; D004552:Elder Abuse / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006291:Health Policy; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D009626:Terminology as Topic